Citadel: First Colony (22 page)

“How well do you know him?” Thomas asked suddenly.

She shook her head. “Not very well. We went to different kinds of parties. He and Daddy used to play golf together. I’ve met him a few times.”

Thomas looked on for a few minutes then turned back to her, smiling. “Get some rest, ok? We’ll find your folks.” And with that he walked away.

Penny found that she wasn’t sure how she should act. This guy, Thomas, seemed to be quiet and kind of a jerk at the same time, but then he would let her cry all over his chest. He was in charge, but he didn’t have a problem letting someone else tell people what to do. And even when she was being a bitch ...

Well, he was pretty good about it. She knew she’d been kind of snotty lately, and he’d said some things that really pissed her off. But the truth was she wasn’t as mad at him as much as she was scared for herself. And maybe he made her feel a little better. Whatever.

Penny went to where Mr. Taggart had set up the food. The man was giving instructions to everyone, telling them what was next. He looked up and spotted her, then made his way to her.

“Penny Daunder?”

“Hi, Mr. Taggart.”

He laughed. “I never expected to see you here! Are your parents here, as well?”

She tried not to react. She tried to smile and say that they would come along soon. They were likely safe and among the unopened pods. But instead she began crying again. She shuddered uncontrollably as Taggart rushed forward, engulfed her in his arms, and held her.

“Can’t ... can’t find them,” she sobbed.

“
Shhhh
, it’s ok. It’s fine, little one. We’ll find them. I promise that.”

It was the second time someone had said these things to her, the second time someone had held her like this. But it felt so ...
different
. It was wrong somehow. It wasn’t as
true
.

Penny’s tears stopped, along with the sobs, and she pulled from his embrace. He kept his hands on her shoulders and squared her to him, looking down into her eyes. “Penny, it will be fine, I promise. We will find them.”

She nodded, and Taggart, smiling, wiped away one of her tears and then went back to the work of leading everyone.

Thomas was right
, Penny thought. He seemed like a nice enough guy. But deep down there was something about him that she didn’t like. Something
familiar
.

After a while, it hit her. And when it did, she shuddered.

He reminded her, she realized, of Corey.

T
he
expedition for water started early in the morning.
Somar had met individually with each of the party the night before, explaining to them the task ahead. For the time being, he told them, they would gather water in containers and bring it back. Along the way, they would survey a route for running power lines and plumbing. The next phase would take place the following day, when they would concentrate their efforts on erecting a hydroelectric system and water pumps. After that, they could run pipes and cables along the same route, and the Citadel community, as he’d taken to calling it, would have power and running water once again.

This had immediately lifted the spirits of the men and women he’d spoken with, which was exactly what Somar had hoped. They each went out in their individual excitement and spread the news that things were getting better. Somar had spaced them out as he talked with each of them so that the entire community would be inundated with wave after wave of exciting, positive news. Just as the trickle of excitement might have started to fade, another crewmember would come along and say, “Did you hear? Running water in a few days!”

It had the desired effect. The camp was definitely picking up in spirit. Somar now heard laughter and pleasant conversation. The hope of these amenities was enough, at least for the moment, to take their minds off of the terrible events that had brought them here.

Now they were off, and as they left the camp cheers and shouts and laughter followed them. Somar, leading them with Billy Sans at his side, could feel the adoration of the people and knew that it meant they were becoming the community he hoped they would be. He also knew that it depended entirely on what happened over the next week, and how quickly and surely they could deliver on the promise of water and electricity.

Water was vital. So was power. But of more importance, greater than anything else, was hope. If there were any major setbacks on this expedition, then they ran the risk of the community losing hope or having it dashed. Somar prayed silently that they would run into no such problems and would return victorious.

Billy Sans was quiet beside him. While the rest of the expedition chattered and joked, Billy stuck by Somar’s side and said very little. Somar didn’t mind, of course. He was used to moving in silence. With the humans, it felt almost as if he were dragging along a parade of some kind. Where he was quiet and contemplative, the humans were largely loud and boisterous. He had come to expect and accept this as typical human behavior. And so it was that since Billy Sans was not laughing and talking, Somar suspected that something was wrong.

“Mr. Sans, is your health suffering?”

Billy started. “N-no, sir. I’m fine.”

“You seem unusually quiet. I worry that the exertion of the past few days might be taking its toll on you.”

Billy looked at him for a moment. Somar was unable to read the expression on the young man’s face. He had spent a great deal of time with the humans so far, but they were so complex. They wore every feeling and emotion on their faces, in the way they held their bodies, in the timber and tone of their voices. It was like trying to pick out a meaningful story from someone who chattered constantly about anything that was in his or her head. Which, Somar realized, was another trait that many humans possessed. He was learning much about humanity, but it was taking a great deal of time.

“Captain, do you have any family? Back on Esool?”

Somar nodded. Sudden changes in the topic of conversation were to be expected from humans. What was interesting was that they were not always as unrelated as they seemed. Humans had a fairly powerful gift—to be able to relate a variety of concepts into one meaning. “I do. Our culture is a little different than what you are used to, however. Let us just say that I have many children.”

“No wife?” Billy asked.

Somar hesitated. He was unsure what might be considered too “alien” to Billy. He knew from conversations with several of the high-ranking human officers he’d met, that the topic of procreation among his species was strange and disturbing to them. And yet, despite what seemed to be revulsion on their part, the humans always seemed to come back to procreation as a topic of discussion. They were infinitely curious about sex, it seemed. The Esool considered sex to be as mundane a topic as any other, not usually worthy of discussion. After all, all Esool performed it the same way, whenever there was need. To the humans, though, sex was akin to “recreation.” And so, just as he’d been asked about sports and books and films on his home world, he would be asked about sex. Albeit more discreetly than when asked about the other topics.

“The Esool are different than Humans when it comes to ... interpersonal relationships. We have mates. But monogamy isn’t a practice among my people.”

Billy considered this for a moment. “You have more than one ... mate?”

“Many. Some I know, some I do not.”

“What?”

For the first time, Somar smiled. He knew that this was usually when humans became most interested. “Many times, we mate with whomever is available. This may be difficult for you to understand fully, Mr. Sans. I apologize if I confuse you.”

“Your people, they don’t get married? They don’t fall in love?”

“Oh,” Somar said, smiling, “We love. One of my mates, Martome, is my fondest. She and I make a point to meet at least once per year to mate. She has borne more of my offspring than any other Esool.”

Billy shook his head. “Sounds like a wife to me,” he said.

“In a sense, I suppose that is true. I have a particular fondness for Martome. However, among my people mating is something done for a purpose. And it is not limited to one bloodline. We mate because of biological need.”

Billy nodded. “So you do have family. A big one.”

“Many sons and daughters,” Somar said, feeling a swell of pride. “And many grandchildren. Since the Expansion began, my progeny have made their homes on new worlds, and they carry me with them. My family is very large indeed.”

Billy walked on in silence, and Somar contemplated their conversation. There was a thread here, he was sure. Something related to Billy’s present mood.

“I guess I never thought about you having a family,” Billy said. His voice was quiet, pained. “Do you miss them?”

“I only know a few of them personally,” Somar said. “Many of my children were born to random mates met during star travel or battle. I never knew their names.”

“
What
!” Billy said, shocked.

Somar nodded once. “That is the way of my people, Mr. Sans. We are all part of the community, and we all share in the responsibilities of each individual. When I mate, my offspring become part of the whole. They are not mine, as you might perceive it. They are part of the Esool. They become the responsibility of every Esool everywhere, until they are able to act as individuals.”

Billy thought about this for a moment. “So, you don’t know your parents?”

“I know my mother. My father, I believe, was a prospector who helped chart some of the first worlds we settled. I’ve never met him.”

Billy laughed, and Somar looked at him, curiously. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just, I never met my father either. He and my mom were both space rats. They met on a long haul. Mom told him she was pregnant just before they went into cryo for a few months, and when she woke up, he was gone.”

Somar absorbed this for a moment. “He abandoned you and your mother?” It was something Somar had learned early on, that humans were capable of thinking only of themselves. And because they lacked the sense of unity that the Esool possessed, the family unit became much more important. For a father to leave his mate and his child ...

Billy shrugged. “We got by. We had the crew to look after us.”

Somar smiled. “Yes. The crew was your community. I’ve heard about this. It is much like the way of the Esool. We have more in common than we might first have suspected, Mr. Sans.”

Billy suddenly seemed startled.

“I apologize, have I offended you Mr. Sans?”

“N-no. No, sir. It’s just ... well, I think you’re right. You’re more like us ... more like me than I thought at first. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

Somar nodded. “I understand. No matter what our differences, however, we are all part of one community now. For the foreseeable future, at least. This is why we travel to the water. I have my personal need, of course. But it is of much greater importance that we get water and power to the people of Citadel. Especially now that the rescue team is waking the colonists. When they arrive, would it not be best if we could greet them with clean water and hot meals and open arms?” Somar smiled.

Billy smiled back, “Yes, sir. That would be best. I can see it now.”

Somar nodded. He liked this young man. “You are a good person, Billy Sans. You have the heart of an Esool.”

Billy laughed. “I guess so,” he said. Then, without explanation or apparent cause, his face paled and his eyes widened slightly.

“Mr. Sans? Are you ill?”

“No, Captain. I’m fine. I ... just can’t wait to get the water flowing. It’ll be nice.”

Somar nodded. “It will indeed.” And the two of them walked on with the rest of the team in tow.

––––––––

T
he
river below them had cut deeply into the terrain
, leaving sheer, cliff-like banks on either side of its passage. The banks were mostly soil with some rock here and there and trees hanging so far over that they looked as if they might fall at any moment. The team made its way down the slope of one embankment, through the brush and trees, and found a rocky basin where water had pooled. The river flowed on from this point, going into rapids a bit further downstream.

Billy looked at the surrounding banks and brush and trees with a growing sense of dread. This place, this area, was perfect for an ambush.

Somar was directing the team in their duties. He had them unload the equipment and begin setting up the workstations. He had the technicians test the water for purity and then asked everyone to fill the containers they had brought. This he did further up stream from the basin, around a slight bend. This spot would provide cover for what he was planning next.

“What can I do to help?” Billy asked him. He was desperate to help the man for some reason. Desperate to do something good.

“Nothing, Mr. Sans. If you will keep watch I will submerge myself for a few minutes to absorb the water.”

Billy nodded and walked a bit upstream, watching the bend in the river.

Somar took off his clothes and laid them on one of the larger rocks. Billy couldn’t help but stare every now and then. The Captain was now completely naked, and his skin had a distinct hue—mostly green but also a bit brown in patches. Was this the dryness of being low on water? Was he withering in spots, like a plant would? The Esool, plant-based life forms, were so strange and weird to Billy. He had resented the fact that one of them was in charge here. But now, looking at this man as he slipped into the basin and submerged himself entirely, Billy could see that they really weren’t that different after all. Plant-based, maybe, but still human. Human-
looking
anyway. Close enough that Billy was starting to feel a sick knot in his stomach.

“Sans,” he heard someone whisper. He turned to look at the tree line on the bank above. There, hidden by the brush, was Jack. Was he alone?

No. The others, his crew, were with him. They were hidden further back in the brush. Now Jack pushed through and climbed down the embankment, coming to stand before Billy. “The alien’s in the water?” he asked.